Apparatus for transporting sheet-material members

ABSTRACT

A collating machine is provided with a guide channel having a guide surface juxtaposed with sheet-material members which are to be transported in the guide channel. Advancing means effects advancing of the sheet-material members along the guide channel. Conduit means serves to blow a gaseous fluid between the guide surface and the surface of sheet material members facing the guide surface so as to establish therebetween a cushion of pressurized gaseous fluid which prevents direct frictional contact between the guide surface and the sheet material members.

iU nitt-tl States Patent Inventor Hans Mueller Barenhubel, Switzerland Appl. No. 718.095

Filed Apr. 2, 1968 Patented Jan. 19, 1971 Assignee Grapha Maschinenlabrik, Hans Muller AG. Zofingen, Switzerland Priority Apr. 7, 1967 Switzerland 4985/67 APPARATUS FOR TRANSPORTING SHEET- MATERIAL MEMBERS 8 Claims, 2 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 271/12, 271/45, 271/74 Int. Cl B65h 5/02 Field of Search 302/31;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3.054,612 9/1962 Godlewski 271/4X 2,984,364 5/1961 Lamb 2l4/1A.B 3.374,078 3/1968 Wright. 214/1A.B 3,411,831 11/1968 Smith 302/31 3,395,943 8/1968 Wilde et al 302/31 Primary Examiner-Evon C. Blunk Assistant Examiner-Roger S. Gaither Atl0rne v-Michael S. Striker ABSTRACT: A collating machine is provided with a guide channel having a guide surface juxtaposed with sheet-material members which are to be transported in the guide channel. Advancing means effects advancing of the sheet-material members along the guide channel. Conduit means serves to blow a gaseous fluid between the guide surface and the surface of sheet material members facing the guide surface so as to establish therebetween a cushion of pressurized gaseous fluid which prevents direct frictional contact between the guide surface and the sheet material members.

PATENTEDIJANI 9191:

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M5; //e P APPARATUS FOR TRANSPORTING SHEET-MATERIAL MEMBERS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to apparatus for transporting sheet-material members, and more particularly to a paper-collating apparatus.

Here after the type of apparatus in question will be identified as collating apparatus, that is apparatus which is used for collating sheets of paper. However, it is to be un derstood that this is by way of example only and to facilitate description of the invention, but that the invention is equally applicable to other apparatus or arrangements wherein problems exist similar to those which are to be discussed thereafter with reference to collating apparatus.

In collating apparatus of the type here in question it is known to connect several pickup stations above a collecting channel along which they are spaced from one another. At

each pickup station there is arranged a stack of sheet-material members and during operation of the collating machine the respectively lowermost sheet-material member of each stack is gripped, usually by a gripping drum, and placed onto a pickup table which is arranged below the pickup station but above the collecting channel. The bottom wall of the collecting channel is longitudinally slotted and there is arranged below the collecting channel an endless chain, ribbon or analogous instrumentality which carries engaging frngersor engaging pins projecting upwardly into the collecting channel through the slot. As these engaging pins advance in the channel with advancement of the chain or analogous instrumentality, the one which is respectively closest to the pickup table will engage the sheet-material member deposited thereon, slide it into the collecting channel and advance it therealong.

However, constructions of this type suffer from some drawbacks. Thus, it is customary to provide the collecting channel with a substantially vertical abutment surface on one side of the slot and a supporting surface which is inclined downwardly towards the abutment surface. The purpose is to assure that, when the sheet-material member is pushed off the pickup table into the guide channel, it will be vertically oriented therein by engagement with the vertical abutment surface and by resting on the inclined supporting surface during advancement along the guide channel. lf machines of this type were constructed for only a single size of sheet-material member, this construction would undoubtedly have few problems. However, this is not economically possible and therefore such machines are constructed for accepting a plurality of different sizes of sheet material members. This, in turn, necessitates that the slot and the engaging pins extending therethrough be located parallel to and in rather close proximity with the vertical abutment surface. Under such circumstances, however, engagement of the engaging pins on larger-dimensioned sheetmaterial members will be offcenter with respect to the longitudinal axis of the sheet-material member, that is the axis facing in the direction of elongation of the side channel. The inevitable vibration of the endless chain or analogous instrumentality and therefore of the engaging pins, as well as the significant friction which develops betweenthe sheet-material member and the inclined surface of the guide channel, in conjunction with the offcenter engagement of the sheet-material member by the engaging pin, result in gradual sliding movement of the sheet-material member with reference to the engaging pin by which it is contacted, such that the trailing edge of the sheetmaterial member slowly moves upwardly against the engaging pin. Of course, this means that when this sheet-material member is the lowest one of the plurality which is being collated, that is if additional sheet-material members are deposited on top of it from subsequent pickup stations, this now lowermost sheet-material member will be rearwardly offset from the other sheet-material members. It need not be particularly emphasized that this is undesirable. Naturally. this shifting of the sheet-material member in question does not 2 take place immediately on engagemenvby the engaging pin; it takes place during the transport of this particular sheetmaterial member past additional pickup stations at which further sheet-material members are deposited atop the now lowermost sheet-material member. This, of course, serves to press the lowermost sheet-materialmember more tightly against the supporting surface, thereby increasing frictional contact with the latter. promoting a condition of vacuum between the supporting surface and the lowermost sheetmaterial member and also tending to effect electrostatic charging of the supporting surface.

This is by no means the only disadvantage found in known machines of this type. It is a further problem that the uppermost sheet-material members of a set of collated members will adhere to one another only loosely because of the entrapped air between them, whereas the lower sheet-material members of such a set will adhere relatively strongly to one another because of the weight of the sheet-material members which rest on them. Therefore, if the collating machine is suddenly stopped, the upper sheet-material member of a collated set will move forwardly under the influence of inertia so that the stacked set is no longer strictly vertical. Furthermore, the relatively significant friction between the lowermost sheet-material member and the supporting surface will result in lateral deflection of the lowermost sheet-material member if the machine operates at high advancing speeds and if the respective engaging pin engages in an offcenter position as discussed SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with one feature of my invention, I provide an apparatus for transporting sheet-material members. Specifically, I provide a paper-collating apparatus having wall means which defines an elongated guide channel in which sheet-material members are to be transported and are received for this purpose. The guide channel has a guide sur-- face which is juxtaposed with such members in surface-to-surface relationship. Advancing means is provided which is operative for advancing the sheet-material members in the guide channel. Finally, I provide means for producing and maintaining a cushion of gaseous fluid under pressure between the guide surface and the sheet-material members which are being transported in the guide channel. By this I avoid frictional engagement between the guide surface and the sheetmaterial members.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. I is a vertical section through an apparatus embodying my invention; and

FIG. 2 is a partly sectioned view of the apparatus shown in FIG. I as seen on the line II-ll of FIG. I.

DESCRlPTlON OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Discussing now the drawing in detail it will be seen that reference numeral 1 identifies a stationary supporting frame of any known or desired construction. The supporting frame 1 is provided with a horizontal surface 2 which serves to support a stack 3 of superimposed sheet-material members. Arranged below the stack 3 is a rotatable gripping drum 4 provided with a gripper 5 and suctiontype or friction-type engaging members 5a. On rotation of the drum 4 in the direction of the arrow associated therewith the lowermost sheet-material member of the stack 3 is withdrawn from the stack and, upon a partial rotation of the drum 4, this sheet-material member thus withdrawn is deposited on the pickup table 6.

Arranged below the pickup table 6 is wall means defining a guide or collecting channel 7 which is provided with a longitudinally extending slot (not numbered) below which there is arranged an endless chain. belt or similar instrumentality 8 carrying articulated engaging pins 9 thereon. As these engaging pins 9 move into the upper run of the chain 8 they extend up- .wardly through the slot into the guide channel 7 in such a manner that they will engage the trailing-edge portion of the sheet material member resting on the pickup table 6 and will slide this sheet material member off the table 6 and into the guide channel 7.

The drawing, and specifically FIG. 1, clearly shows that the guide: channel 7 has a substantially vertical abutment surface 7b and a sliding or supporting surface 7a which is inclined with reference to the abutment surface 7b and which is very smooth, preferably polished.

In accordance with my invention a plurality of longitudinally arrayed bores 10 are provided in that portion of the supporting surface 7a which extends oppositely to the abutment surface 7b in parallelism therewith and on the other side therefrom of the slot as is clearly seen in H6. 2. The ends of these bores 10 which are remote from the surface 711 communicate with a manifold or distributing conduit 11 arranged below the guide channel 7. The conduit 11, which is constituted by a profiled member 12 in this instance which is rigid with the wall means defining the guide channel 7, is in turn connected via a pipe 13 with a source 14 of compressed gaseous fluid, for example air, and the pressure of fluid in the conduit ll canbe regulated via a suitable valve means such as a slide-type valveinterposed in the pipe 13. It is clear that gaseous fluid under pressure supplied from the source 14 will enter through the pipe 13 into the channel or conduit 11, and will escape from there through the bores 10. If, now, any of the bores 10 are covered by the presence of a sheet-material member overlying them, then the escaping gaseous fluid under pressure impinges upon the underside of this sheet-material member anda gaseous cushion will develop between the underside of the sheet-material member and the supporting surface 7a. Thus, the sheet-material member will slide along the guide channel 7 on this gaseous cushion without coming into direct frictional contact with the supporting surface 7a. Friction between the supporting surface 7a and the sheet-material member will thus be eliminated or at least lowered to an irreducible minimum.

FIG. 2 specifically shows that the supporting surface 70 of the guide channel 7 is completely smooth, for instance being constituted by polished sheet metal. The bores 10 are arrayed longitudinally of the guide channel 7 and I prefer that the spacing in the longitudinal direction between adjacent ones of the bores 10 be at most cm. In the illustrated embodiment'l have provided two rows of bores 10 which extend in parallelism with one another and in case I prefer that the spacing between these two rows be substantially on the order of 8 cm. Also, in the illustrated embodiment, the diameter of each bore 10 is 2 mm, but in any construction the diameter of such a bore should not be less than 1 mm.

It will be clear, of course, that more than two rows of the bores 10 can be provided.

I prefer that the pressure ofgaseous fluid, such as air, in the conduit 11 be no less than 0.1 atm. Ofcourse, the pressure can be varied, and therefore the pressure of fluid escaping from the bores 10 can be changed, by means of the valve 15 so as to accommodate the construction for sheet-material of different sizes, different weights, or for collated stacks of different weights.

lt will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find auseful application in other types of constructions differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in an apparatus for transporting sheet-material members, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown. since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis. the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore. such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus for transporting sheet-material members, particularly in a paper-collating apparatus, a combination comprising wall means defining an elongated guide channel for transportation of sheet-material members and having two transversely spaced sides, a lateral at least substantially vertical stationary surfaceextending along one of said sides and a stationary guide surface extending between said sides and including a first surface portion downwardly inclined toward said lateral surface from the other of said sides and a substan tially horizontal second surface portion adjacent said lateral surface, said guide surface having a longitudinal slot extending along said lateral surface intermediate the same and said other side; assembling means for assembling a stack of sheet-material members on said guide surface; advancing means comprising a conveyor chain extending lengthwise of said channel and having engagement portions comprising engaging pins projecting through said slot for engaging said stack of sheetmaterial members and advancing it along said channel over said guide surface; and means for producing and maintaining a cushion of gaseous fluid under pressure between said guide surface and a stack of sheet-material members on the same to thereby avoid displacement of said sheet-material members relative to one another as well as with reference to said 'guide surface in response to being transported along said channel by said advancing means, including atleast one row or bores provided in said guide surface and extending along said slot between the same and said other side, and a source of gaseous fluid under pressure communicating with said bores.

2. In an apparatus as defined in claim 1, said last-mentioned means further comprising closed pressure fluid conduit extending along said guide channel and communicating with said source, and said bores having inner open ends remote from said guide surface and communicating with said conduit.

3. In an apparatus as defined in claim 2, said source being operative for maintaining the gaseous fluid in said conduit at a pressure not substantially below 0.1 atmosphere.

4. ln an apparatus as defined in claim 3, and further comprising regulating means associated with said source and operative for regulating the flow of gaseous fluid from said source to said conduit.

5. In an apparatus as defined in claim 4, further comprising pipe means connecting said conduit and said source, and wherein said regulating means comprises valve means arranged in said pipe means.

6. In an apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said bores are spaced from one another in longitudinal direction of said guide channel by a distance not exceeding 20 cm.

7. ln an apparatus as defined in claim 6. wherein said bores are arranged in at least one additional r0; both of said rows being substantially parallel and spaced from one another by a distance of substantially 8 mm. 

1. In an apparatus for transporting sheet-material members, particularly in a paper-collating apparatus, a combination comprising wall means defining an elongated guide channel for transportation of sheet-material members and having two transversely spaced sides, a lateral at least substantially vertical stationary surface extending along one of said sides and a stationary guide surface extending between said sides and including a first surface portion downwardly inclined toward said lateral surface from the other of said sides and a substantially horizontal second surface portion adjacent said lateral surface, said guide surface having a longitudinal slot extending along said lateral surface intermediate the same and said other side; assembling means for assembling a stack of sheet-material members on said guide surface; advancing means comprising a conveyor chain extending lengthwise of said channel and having engagement portions comprising engaging pins projecting through said slot for engaging said stack of sheet-material members and advancing it along said channel over said guide surface; and means for producing and maintaining a cushion of gaseous fluid under pressure between said guide surface and a stack of sheet-material members on the same to thereby avoid displacement of said sheetmaterial members relative to one another as well as with reFerence to said guide surface in response to being transported along said channel by said advancing means, including at least one row or bores provided in said guide surface and extending along said slot between the same and said other side, and a source of gaseous fluid under pressure communicating with said bores.
 2. In an apparatus as defined in claim 1, said last-mentioned means further comprising closed pressure fluid conduit extending along said guide channel and communicating with said source, and said bores having inner open ends remote from said guide surface and communicating with said conduit.
 3. In an apparatus as defined in claim 2, said source being operative for maintaining the gaseous fluid in said conduit at a pressure not substantially below 0.1 atmosphere.
 4. In an apparatus as defined in claim 3, and further comprising regulating means associated with said source and operative for regulating the flow of gaseous fluid from said source to said conduit.
 5. In an apparatus as defined in claim 4, further comprising pipe means connecting said conduit and said source, and wherein said regulating means comprises valve means arranged in said pipe means.
 6. In an apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said bores are spaced from one another in longitudinal direction of said guide channel by a distance not exceeding 20 cm.
 7. In an apparatus as defined in claim 6, wherein said bores are arranged in at least one additional row, both of said rows being substantially parallel and spaced from one another by a distance of substantially 8 mm.
 8. In an apparatus as defined in claim 6, wherein said bores have a diameter of at least 1 mm. 